


Faulty Circuits

by orphan_account



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Enemies to Lovers, Futaba Sakura is mentioned, M/M, Shido's palace, akechi is a bitch pass it on, akechi needs to get a fUCKing haircut, akira is just so devious, and more(tm), awkard silences, because they're in an elevator, but really quick, he is not a disney princess, lots of teasing, there is some slight sauciness so do not read if you're a tiny child
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-29
Updated: 2020-02-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:33:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22957972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Akira and Goro get stuck in an elevator.they hate it until they don't.
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira
Kudos: 118





	Faulty Circuits

This was _not_ happening.

Akira refused to believe it.

The one time he splits from the party, he enters an elevator that happens to get its circuits in a twist. But of course, the universe was not done yet.

Goro _fucking_ Akechi was in the elevator with him.

Aiming a gun at his head.

The detective was sneering in distaste and disbelief down the barrel of the gun, maroon eyes narrowed into slits.

Demonic bitch.

“What the hell are you doing here, petty thief?” He seethed, shoulders tensed below his ears. Akira glowered through the domino mask, assessing ways to remove the gun from his fake-murderer’s hand before he became his actual murderer. He placed his hands in the air and showed the ace detective his hands were empty by turning his palms to face him.

“I am unarmed. You aren’t. Put the gun down and I won’t have to beat it out of your hands.” He said calmly, staying as still as amarble statue. The boy in front of him laughed bitterly.

“I think not. I’ve killed you once, I’ll do it again.” Akechi gestured threateningly with the gun, but the effect was nullified by the long hair flicking into his eyes. He huffed and tossed it back, similar to that of a boy-band member.

What a _little bitch_.

“Fine, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Akira sighed, adjusting his cuffs and pulling down his gloves.

Almost quicker than lightning, Akira sprinted for the opposing wall, using it to kick off into a backflip, soaring over Akechi and grabbing the gun, emptying the bullets onto the floor in midair like the absolute badass he was.

He landed perfectly, turning to face Akechi as he gaped in furious disbelief.

“You asshole, I was going to shoot you!”

“Exactly! I would prefer it if I _didn’t_ die in a broken elevator, much less shot by _you_.” The Phantom Thief quipped, placing the gun in the folds of his long jacket.

Goro seethed silently, eyeing the cat-like movements that Akira made with sour suspicion.

“I suppose _you’re_ going to kill me now.”

The Phantom Thief looked him dead in the eyes and let out a clear ring of laughter.

“Kill you? Why would I do that?”

Surprise flashed across Goro’s face, quickly replaced with frustration. How dare he keep up this self-righteous ‘merciful’ act? He was not just, he was just another high school boy who didn’t know when to quit. By keeping up the act of that justice-driven vigilante he only made himself look more childish. No matter. The second the elevator got moving and took him to his desired floor, he would send guards to scour the place for the vermin.

How wonderfully satisfying it would be to see the boy on his knees in front of him, all bloodied up and hopeless. He couldn’t deny he would look oh so _pretty_ like that, with the purple stain of bruises and the crimson of blood welling up on his lips-

Wait fuck he’s talking.

“I said, do you know if the elevator does this often? You’ve been here more than me, with you being Shido’s _lapdog_ and all.”

Akira waved a scarlet-clad hand in front of the detective’s face. Goro snapped to attention, batting the gloved hand away as he scowled in the thief’s direction.  
“I am certainly _not_ a lapdog. I am a _trusted companion_ of our soon-to-be Prime Minister.” Goro sneered, stepping into the thief’s face, edging menacingly into his space. He turned on his heel as abruptly as he had come in close, inspecting a metal grille in the top corner of the elevator.

“And to answer your question, I do not know how often these elevators break down, but by all means, if you can fix it, I would help to an extent. Anything to get out of this cursed box and call the guards on you.” Goro smiled, full of teeth and sugared words that stung into the thief’s professional demeanor.

“So quick to change your attitude, Ace Detective. Just now, you couldn’t get enough of me.” The smirk beneath the mask widened as Goro felt his face redden.

 _Bastard_.

“Just help me up to the grille, you asshole.”

Akira rolled his eyes, moving to kneel and offer a leg up, only to receive Goro’s hand pull his hair back sharply, muttering a quick “If you try anything sneaky…” and then using the leg up to remove the grille and take a look at the outside of the elevator.

“Really, Detective? _Hair pulling?_ What next, will you start _biting_?” The playful lilt of Akira’s voice glided through the grille. Goro could hear the smirk before he saw its owner pull himself up and out of the hole in the elevator’s ceiling. His lithe body stood up on top of the broken machine, taking a look up the shaft.

“I can’t see what’s wrong with it. What do you know about elevators?”

The detective sighed, standing up and examining the top of the machinery.

“Sadly, I seem to be as incompetent as you are in this scenario.”

He avoided the thrown glare and moved on to a switch next to the pulley system. With a short amount of investigation, he found a large battery pack nestled behind the switch.

“It appears to have blown a fuse. The spare batteries aren’t enough to fully power it. We’ll be stuck here unless you can charge a large battery.”

Akira, holding on to the wires in the pulley system swung around into a low crouch next to the batteries. His scarlet glove waved over the switch, and yet nothing happened.

“Ok, so how are we going to charge the battery?”

He gazed up at the detective, still holding the wires. Goro sighed, pinching his sinuses and pushing the hair back from his face.

“I don’t know.”

The Phantom Thief chuckled.

“Our very own _Ace Detective_ doesn’t know how to charge a few batteries.” The condescending tone made Goro want to slam Akira’s head repeatedly on the wall.

“Very funny, but I don’t recall you coming up with a solution.”

Akira shrugged, standing up again.

“I’m not the detective here. _I’m_ the ‘petty thief’.” Goro sent a glowering side-eye in his direction, moving towards the grille. He held eye contact as he dropped down the hole, his voice still floating up to the echoey shaft.

“Well, you could at least be helpful.”

 _Absolute_ bitch.

Akira sighed, sending one quick look at the flipped switch and the battery pack. He wondered if it was a Metaverse thing. Shrugging to himself, the thief slipped back into the elevator.

He landed silently and elegantly, walking over to the wall opposite the door, slumping down and bringing his knee up to sit in a comfortable position. He rubbed his face beneath the mask, thinking about how Akechi was just so exhausting. he sent a glance in the way of the detective, eyeing the stiff stature he held in the corner of the room.  
That boy _needed_ to get a hair cut.

It kept flicking into his eyes, getting in his way and the only way he got it out was by flicking it as if he was an idol. It was impractical and it needed to be fixed.

“Hey, Ace Detective, get over here.”

Akechi eyed him warily.

“What do you want?”

Akira sighed, getting up and pulling his gloves off. He sighed looking at the almond brown mess in front of him, he dove into his pockets, knowing in one of them, there would be at least one hair tie.

Futaba wouldn’t let him leave without a few. Her hair got everywhere while she was working, so she taught Akira how to braid hair and tie it up properly for her.

He snapped the elastic on his wrist, giving Akechi a look of withering disappointment.

“I’m fixing your hair.”

Goro’s eyes shot open.  
“What do you mean, _‘fix my hair’_? What’s wrong with it?” He subconsciously patted down the back of his hair. He pulled it out of his eyes again, huffing at the impracticality of the length. Akira gave him a look of tired disbelief.

“I’m going to tie it up. You look like an idol when you flip it back.”

Akechi stuttered in indignant disbelief.

“You’re going to what?”

“Tie it up.”

Goro stared at him as if he had lost it. _Had_ he? Tying his hair back, as if he cared about how Goro flicked it back. He was definitely up to something. He played along, waiting for the thief to slip up.

“Fine. If you mess it up, I’ll kill you.”

  
Akira gathered handfuls of hair and ran his fingers through it to make up for the fact he didn’t have a comb. His hair was soft, surprisingly so. He seemed to take good care of it, apart from the fact _he never seemed to cut it_. Of course, he would look strange without something framing his face, so Akira left the bangs out of the ponytail, but tucked the pieces that were too long behind his ears, focused in his task of fixing the mess that was Goro Akechi’s hair. He twisted the hair elastic around the small ponytail a few times, fingertips brushing the nape of the detective’s neck.

A few shivers ran down his spine, much to Goro’s disappointment. He should have gotten over it at this point, but any kind of touch set him off like that if it came from him. The gentle tug of hair and the way he ran his fingers through it with ease just killed him over and over again. He hated the feeling, it made him weak. If he can’t suppress the thoughts of the Phantom Thief, he bent them to fit his objective. He was pretty, but he’d look prettier all beat up. He was smart, but that tongue would be better quiet and subdued by a quick bite. He simply made his attractions suit his drive. It made it better that he got there in the end, watching the boy sitting alone in the interrogation room, face scratched, bruised and bleeding. The fear and despair in his eyes were enough to satisfy Goro’s hunger to keep himself from just _devouring_ him completely. He knew there was no way to justify taking him hostage but still, the thought gleefully ran through his mind.

“There, all done.”

Akechi woke himself up from his thoughts, remembering he couldn’t think straight and logically if he was blinded by the lust the Phantom Thief commanded. He felt his hands travel up to his hair, brushing against the ponytail. The hair was smooth, there were no apparent faults in the work the thief had done.

He had to give him credit where credit was due.

  
“Thank you, I suppose.” He turned to face him, holding stoic eye contact as Akira pulled his gloves back on. The thief sent a quick smirk his way, a witty comment soon sliding off of his tongue.

“Oh my god, _Crow_ , I didn’t see you there! Where have you been?”

Akechi glared at him sharply.

“You’re pushing it, Joker.”

He merely laughed, heeding no warning Goro gave him.

“It’s almost like you disappeared in all that hair. I haven’t seen you in _ages_ , Crow.”

Goro hissed, slamming his arm against the boy’s chest, pinning him to the wall.

“I said, _you’re pushing it, Joker_.”

Akira simply stared back, challenging the detective silently. Goro continued.  
“Do not use that name on me. I am not your teammate, I am not your friend, I am not your accomplice.”

He smiled, mischief glinting behind the white domino mask like a concealed blade.

“Now, now, _Crow_ , there’s no need to get physical.”

He inhaled sharply as the detective slammed him against the wall again, eyes bright with fury. The boy obviously couldn’t get a hint through his thick head.

“You call me that name _one more time_ , and I’ll kill you with your own dagger.”

Goro glowered, and abruptly removed his arm, watching the thief relax and lean back against the wall, smug and playful. He wasn’t done.

“I doubt you’ll be able to handle that, let alone find it.”

Goro hissed through his teeth, losing his patience.

“I’m a detective, Joker.”

He laughed, clear and sharp.

“It’s been a while since you’ve called me that. Missed hearing it fall off your tongue?”

Akira knew he was pushing his limits. This entire situation was a gamble, completely putting the stakes on whether or not Akechi had the guts to find his dagger. If he did, it was likely he would find the gun, and after finding the gun, all he could do was pick up the bullets and Akira would be dead. For real this time. And yet he continued to bet on the patience of the detective, the thrill of his life being at stake driving him to add in one last jab:

“Of course, I know how much you enjoy calling my name out like _that_.”

He threw a haphazard wink to the detective, watching him silently implode. The boy’s face was red and his sneer was twitching. If looks could kill, Akira would be bleeding from a couple of hundred shots in the head. That look on his face was more than murder.

“God, can’t you take anything seriously? I just threatened to slice you open and show your _insides_ what it’s like _outside_.” Goro gritted his teeth, his words forcing their way through. Akira pushed a hand through his hair.

“But you won’t.”

  
Goro was infuriated. Fuming. Absolutely _consumed_ in the flames of hate.

“How are you so sure about that, Thief?”

The Phantom Thief held that smoldering eye contact, slate eyes flashing like metal. Ok, so he lied about that ‘one last jab’ thing. It was too thrilling to let go here.

“Because that would mean you would have to find the dagger first. I told you, it’s hidden.”

The detective clicked his tongue dismissively.

“I’m sure I can find a _dagger_ in an _elevator_ , Joker. I’ve worked with police searches before.”

Akira wagged his finger slowly, his smirk stretching in smug mischief.

“Who said I hid it in the elevator?”

Smug _fucking_ bastard.

 _Absolute_ asshole.

 _Complete_ dickhead.

Goro huffed indignantly, crackling his knuckles as he clenched his fists. Joker did not expect him to follow through with the body search. he would no longer play into his hands. To fool your enemies, you had to switch it up a little bit. He reached out, holding the boy’s jaw his hand, turning his face from side to side, reveling in the curious shock painted clearly behind the mask. He took the thing in his hand, watching as the Phantom Thief’s face contorted from intrigue to surprise. He dropped the mask on the floor, as it did not interest him as much as finding the real challenge here: the limits he could push.

He ghosted his hands over the long jacket that Joker had hidden many things in the past. Goro patted down the sleeves and torso, holding Akira’s arms in place. Finding nothing, the detective slid the jacket off of his shoulders, his hands finding the thief’s waist. He kept the nonchalant air to his facial expression, sending glances at Akira’s face. He was blinking in disbelief and attempting to turn his face away from scrutiny, biting his lip in concentration. His face was scarlet, and Goro could feel the heat radiating off of him through the dress shirt.

Goro slid his hands down Akira’s sides, pausing at the hip when he heard the sudden, sharp intake of breath. He looked up, lips quirked in a subtle smirk. Akira was looking elsewhere as if the walls of the elevator were suddenly the most interesting things in the world. Just for good measure, he slowly moved his hand up and down again, pausing to dig his nails into the thief’s skin. Akira finally made eye contact, scowling in annoyance and intoxication.

It was _terribly_ satisfying to see the power dynamic change between them. Seeing Akira lose it by simply moving his hands along his body, not even saying a word. He continued to search for how far he could go, slowing crouching down as he traveled his hand along the thief’s thigh.  
He didn’t even need to search his legs, the knife was strapped to his thigh, cutting his search to a close. He drew it out of the sheath, returning to his feet.  
“Would you look at that. Ace Detective strikes again, hm?”

Goro murmured, grinning as he flicked the knife to Akira’s jugular vein. One slice and it would all be over. The Phantom Thieves would disband, there would be no reason for them to continue their petty thievery of hearts. He could just let his blood spill out across the floor with a flick of his wrist.

But he didn’t.

He hesitated.

And, instead of killing the Phantom Thief, Akira ‘Joker’ Kurusu, Goro Akechi, Ace Detective, kissed him.

The kiss was hesitant and scared but had a sense of sincerity. Akira didn’t know what to do. He simply let his eyes flutter shut, the gentleness of his supposed-to-be-murderer still settling on his lips. He drew back, gazing quizzically into the eyes of his former teammate.

He opened his mouth to speak, but Goro placed a finger on his lips, a withering glare planted on his face.

“Don’t talk, you’ll ruin it.”

Akira raised an eyebrow and went to argue, but sighed, then nodded. He _was_ rather unruly.

Goro studied his face in an attempt to understand himself. He didn’t even think about what he would do afterward. By not killing the thief, he threw his mission away. He betrayed Shido.

Oh, fuck, _Shido_.

He needed to get out of the elevator before the shadows brought him to the cognitive Shido. Well, not out of the elevator, just keep hidden if they come close.

He could use the thief as a distraction, maybe.

The thief spoke:

“Earth to Crow, what’s happening?”

The detective snapped out of his thoughts, bringing himself back to the boy he was currently pinning against a wall. He blinked, giving Akira a once-over and taking the knife away from his throat.

“I’m in a predicament. I am meant to be scanning Shido’s palace every week for reasons I will not disclose, however, by not killing you on sight, I have just betrayed him. I could keep it quiet and he wouldn’t find out immediately but would discover it sooner or later and I would die. Or, I could turn myself in and die now, most likely at the hand of a shadow.”

Akira stared back at him, thinking to himself.

He wondered if this was a good chance to ally with the detective, bonding over their shared goal of not dying at the hands of Shido. But that would leave the Phantom Thieves’ goal of stealing his heart and Goro’s goal of upholding justice in his mind.

“We could hold an oath of silence.” He suggested, slowly being distracted by the proximity of the detective.

Goro nodded, eyes brightening.

“We could swear to never speak of this again, never do anything like this again and hold each other to it.”

There was a pause.

Akira quietly spoke up.

“Are we sure about that part where we never do this again?”

Another moment of brief silence.

Goro’s eyes flicked up to Akira’s, down to his lips, then shifted back to his slate eyes.

“We can make a few exceptions.”

Akira bit his lip, a playful challenge met with twice as much conviction and power as the detective kissed him again, slowly moving down to his jaw, trailing little kisses and nips at the sensitive skin.

There was a sudden jolt and a rush of footsteps above them, causing their heads to whip up to the ceiling of the elevator as it started slowly moving up. Goro turned to Akira, eyes ablaze.

“Are those your teammates?”

Akira gaped at him in disbelief.

“You called the shadows on us?”

Both accusations hung in the air for a quiet moment until Goro eloquently said “What?”

“There is no way the rest of the Thieves are here. I sent them to an entirely different area of the ship.” Akira blurted out, confused and slightly flustered.

“There is no way for me to call the shadows to me, but they patrol the palace, as you should know.”

They stared at each other for a second, then at the ceiling, then back at each other.

“We could… Attack them?” Akira suggested, knowing it would look really bad if they were spotted in an elevator together, both alive.

Goro sighed, then offered an “I won’t tell if you won’t,” to his companion.

As the shadow heaved the pulley system by hand to bring the elevator up, he sighed. It had been a long day and he was not in the mood for anything apart from peace and quiet. As the elevator settled into its correct position, the door slid open with the sound of a clear bell. He went to turn on his heel to call repairs, even though they had been especially quiet recently, only to have someone jump on to his back and pull off his mask with a cry of _"_ _Show me your true form!"_

Goro groaned, catching his gun from mid-air as Joker threw it to him.

“Was that _really_ necessary?”

Akira grinned.

“Everything I do is necessary.”

The detective sighed, aiming for the shadow and firing two shots.  
“Whatever you say, dear Joker.”

Akira dashed up to the shadow, slicing at it and backflipping away as it attempted to strike back.

“‘Dear Joker’? What am I, your devoted 1950s husband?”

Goro rolled his eyes, shooting again.

“Only you would use _that_ interpretation, Joker.”

Akira grinned, preparing to use his rounds to get the enemy on the floor.

“You just wish we were married, Crow.”

He leaped into the air, spinning and rolling as he rained bullets down on the enemy. Akira flashed a sly smile at his companion, winking at him as he landed.

Goro huffed and looked away as to hide the blush on his cheeks, jumping forward into formation and training his gun on the shadow.

“You behave so badly. You’re truly incorrigible.”

Joker chuckled behind the alabaster mask, his gun aimed at the shadow too.

“I may ‘ _behave badly_ ’, but _you’re_ the one who thinks it’s sexy.”

The detective gasped, joining him in an All-Out-Attack. As the shadow combusted, they landed elegantly, side by side while they continued bickering. The shadow heaved his last breath, he wondered why two teenagers were fighting like an old married couple. He would never figure it out, because then he died, leaving the pair alone, just outside an elevator.

“I do not recall telling you that I find your misconduct attractive!” Goro remarked loudly, arms crossed indignantly in front of his chest. Akira laughed, eyes glinting from behind the bone-white mask.

“I don’t need to hear it from you to know that you think my ‘ _misconduct_ ’ turns you on.”

The detective gasped, placing a hand on his chest, ears turning red.

“You are the _worst_ of the worst. I do not know why they call you a ‘gentleman thief’, you are a devious scoundrel.”

The thief grinned, coming in close to his companion’s ear to whisper:

“Well, what are you gonna do about it?”

A low growl resonated in the back of his throat, pulling the thief by his collar. He found this version of his attraction much more pleasant, but it still felt good to be in control. With the tables turned, Goro cocked his head to the side, whispering as if he was speaking about the most innocent thing in the world.

“I’ll show you _exactly_ what I’m gonna do about it.”

**Author's Note:**

> my thoughts making this: what if... Akira... and Goro... were stuck in an elevator... and simply vibed instead of killing each other...? haha jk jk....  
> ...  
> ...  
> ... unless?


End file.
